Q 1. Who were the Guptas? Why is the Gupta period sometimes called the ‘classical age’ in Indian history?
A. The Guptas were a family of kings who first ruled parts of today’s Uttar Pradesh and, by the 4ᵗʰ century CE, controlled much of North India from their capital Pāṭaliputra. Because art, science, literature, and trade all grew very fast while their empire was peaceful and rich, historians call this time the “classical age,” a golden time like Greece under the Greeks or Rome under the Romans.
Q 2. What was happening in the rest of the sub-continent at this time?
A. Other strong kingdoms ruled their own regions: the Vākāṭakas in central India, the Pallavas in the south, and the Kāmarūpa (Varman) kings in the northeast. These powers traded, sometimes fought, and sometimes became friends with the Guptas.
Q 3. Who were some great figures of this period, and why do their stories matter today?
A. • Āryabhaṭa – wrote important maths and astronomy rules, such as why day and night happen.
• Varāhamihira – gathered knowledge on stars, weather, town-planning, and farming.
• Kālidāsa – composed famous Sanskrit poems and plays like Meghadūtam.
Their ideas are still read in schools and show India’s long history of science and art.
THINK ABOUT IT & LET’S EXPLORE (in-text activities)
Q 4. Why did kings proclaim their achievements on stone or metal inscriptions?
A. Stone lasts a very long time, so writing on pillars or copper plates kept the king’s deeds safe for future people to read and remember.
Q 5. Make a list of the sources used so far in the chapter. What did we learn from each?
A. Coins – show images, dates and royal titles.
Inscriptions – give victories, land grants and religion.
Travel books (Faxian) – tell how cities looked and how people lived.
Temples, caves and statues – show art styles and which gods were popular.
All these together give a fuller picture of Gupta times.
Q 6. Map activity – How many present-day Indian states or UTs lay inside the Gupta Empire?
A. On a current map we count about twelve: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Delhi (UT), Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and parts of Maharashtra & Chhattisgarh. Your class may get one or two more or less depending on the borders you draw.
Q 7. Read Faxian’s note and list key points about society.
A. Cities were clean and busy; merchants and foreign traders lived there; hospitals and charity kitchens helped the poor; farmers paid land tax; and royal soldiers were paid salaries.
Q 8. Look at the painting of Prabhāvatī Gupta (Fig 7.10). What does it show?
A. She sits on a throne wearing fine silk and jewels. Ministers and guards stand respectfully. This tells us she ruled as a queen-regent and that women of royal birth could hold high power.
Q 9. You can “meet” Āryabhaṭa or Varāhamihira. What questions would you ask?
Examples a student might ask:
• “Sir Āryabhaṭa, how did you work out the length of a year so closely?”
• “Master Varāhamihira, how do stars help farmers know the coming monsoon?”
Q 10. Identify the deities in the two stone figures (Fig 7.15.1 & 7.15.2).
A. The first shows Viṣhṇu holding a chakra and conch; the second shows Śhiva with a trident and serpent.
END-OF-CHAPTER “QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES”
Q 11. Complete the letter from Pāṭaliputra (250-300 words).
A.
“Greetings from Pāṭaliputra! Life here is vibrant and full of excitement. Just yesterday I witnessed a grand river market crowded with cloth sellers, spice boats, and musicians beating drums. Our streets are kept neat by city guards, and every cross-road has a shady peepal tree where travellers rest. In the evening a troupe of actors performed Kālidāsa’s new play; the king himself loves poetry, so artists feel safe and proud. At sunrise today craftsmen brought bright red terracotta pots to the palace store-house, while learned monks copied sacred books in the monastery nearby. Farmers from the Ganga villages arrived with rice and wheat, paying their land tax in grain. The royal mint is busy too; shiny gold coins with Samudragupta playing the veena are in everyone’s purse. Doctors at the charity clinic give free herbs to the sick, and even poor children go to small schools run by priests. Truly, peace and good roads have made our city a happy place to live.”
Q 12. Which Gupta ruler was also called Vikramāditya?
A. Chandragupta II.
Q 13. Explain how peace helped culture, learning and technology in the Gupta age.
A. Long stretches without big wars let traders travel safely, so taxes kept coming. The kings could then pay scholars, build universities like Nālandā, support metal workshops (iron pillar), and commission artists in caves such as Ajanta. When people feel safe, they spend time on writing books, solving maths, and carving temples instead of fighting.
Q 14. Write a short court scene.
A.
Characters: King Chandragupta II, Minister, Poet Kālidāsa, Astronomer Āryabhaṭa, Soldier.
Scene: The king enters; the court bows. Minister reports safe trade with Pallavas. Soldier brings news of a small border raid; King orders help, not revenge. Kālidāsa recites two lines from his new poem; king rewards him with a gold coin. Āryabhaṭa shows a copper plate star chart; king asks him to teach palace children. Court ends with drum roll.
Q 15. Match the columns.
(1) Kāñchipuram – (d) city of a thousand temples
(2) Ujjayinī – (e) centre of learning
(3) Udayagiri – (b) rock-cut caves with Viṣhṇu carvings
(4) Ajanta – (a) cave paintings of Jātaka tales
(5) Pāṭaliputra – (c) capital of the Guptas
Q 16. Who were the Pallavas and where did they rule?
A. The Pallavas were a south-Indian dynasty who ruled mainly from Kāñchipuram over parts of today’s Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and southern Karnataka between the 4ᵗʰ and 9ᵗʰ centuries CE.
Q 17. How to write a good report after visiting a historical place?
A. Note the date and place, describe what you saw (buildings, objects, signs), tell any story the guide shared, sketch or photograph key parts, and finally explain how seeing real artefacts helped you understand your textbook better. Include feelings—what surprised or inspired you.